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Any book on health or happiness will tell you that you have to have hobbies to live a full and happy life. Something to light you up, challenge you, express creativity, have some fun. Reading facebook, instagram…..you just watch other people having fun, right? You have to get out there and do something. There are lots of things I like to do…..walk outside/hike, garden, yoga, cook, read, needlepoint. Try new restaurants, go to lectures, museums, sight see. Volunteering somewhere is extra good….making a difference and having fun. Being with a group of like minded people is good for the soul. Yoga in a studio is so much different than yoga at home alone. Not having a house of my own and living a life in transition means my usual hobbies are a little limited. I have been needlepointing like crazy this summer. And, I have found a new hobby with my Mom. We have started going to Estate Sales. No, not yard sales where families put out their junk to sell. These are nicer but a little sad. It is a whole household being sold. Someone is downsizing, going into a nursing home/assisted living, or died and the family is selling what they don't want. You can find estate sales near you on this website.

Some are better than others but we have a great time looking. Mom wanted a new bed and she found a perfect one at the first sale we went to. We were hooked. Neither one of us needs anything but we like to look and we find fun things. Last week Mom got a great piano music book for $2. I got a great small rug for the new house. (Downsizing means the rugs I have are too big for the living room and den.) I'm not sure where it will go but it was only $50 and is in perfect condition.

I found two really great old books at the last sale. And for $2 each! This is a little book from 1924. It is a text written for schools to teach kids how to be healthy. It is a chapter book, telling the story of a town called Drowsy Town that was sleepy, dull, dirty, and unhealthy. The children are sick alot and miss school frequently. The kids at the school get challenged by a neighboring school to see who could have the least number of absences, The school kids agree and form a club called Wide Awake Club. Each chapter talks about things they do to get healthier so they have less absences and win the contest. There is a list of exercises in each chapter for the teacher to do with their own classroom as they read the book. It is so interesting.

Cute pictures huh? Their actions include opening their windows to get fresh air, taking care of their teeth, cleaning up the garbage around town, picking up clutter, not playing with matches, eating fresh fruits and vegetables, cereal and milk. I have gotten such a kick out of reading this! So many simple things to be taught. I wonder how it worked out when they taught this in the curriculum!

Don't you love that nurse? I also got another old book….

This is a nursing textbook to teach nurses how to feed their patients. Chapters include Feeding Sick Infants, General Rules for Feeding the Sick, Diet for the Aged, Dietetic Management of Surgical Cases, Hospital Diet, and Recipes. Interestingly, many of the recommendations include a 10 ounce glass of sherry! There is also a reliance on bone broth, which has long thought to be very health-inducing. The recipes are interesting and include coconut flour (that has recently come out as a "new" ingredient!) peanut flour, almond milk, and a whole variety of waters including apple water, tamarind water, imperial drink (water with cream of tartar and lemon juice), flax seed tea, and oatmeal, barley or rice water. Interesting how some of these went by the way side but are now making a come back. Seems like more supporting evidence that our ancestors had it right and we went astray with processing and packaging, making our life "easier!"

I loved this page. I agree that the training of nurses is often faulty! I don't think that has been corrected in all these years. Nutrition has gotten so complicated with all the micronutrients, superfoods, diet plans. We just all need to eat real food! Helping patients eat real food that supports their health is the best we can do! Anyway, that's all the fun for today. I hope you had some fun this weekend, enjoying one of your hobbies!

Welcome to Your Best Defense! I'm Catherine - a nurse, health coach, trained plant-based chef -trying every day to achieve health and ward off cancer and illness through delicious food and good living, So glad you stopped by to join me in my quest!